Google announced Thursday that it will temporarily halt all election-related advertising in the U.S. following the closure of polls on Nov. 5.
The policy is temporary, and advertisers will be informed once it is no longer in effect, according to Google. The suspension does not apply to “public information campaign” advertisements from state or federal government agencies overseeing election procedures.
“We will pause ads relating to US elections from serving in the US after the last polls close on election day, November 5th, 2024. This will include US Election Ads as well as ads that refer to US elections, their processes or outcomes. This is a temporary measure, and we will notify advertisers when this policy is lifted,” Google said in a statement.
Google will block election ads after polls close https://t.co/jANcnDXGM7
— Axios (@axios) October 17, 2024
During this period, all U.S.-based ads referencing candidates and ballot measures will be blocked across Google’s ad platforms, including Google Ads, YouTube Ads, and its marketing tools Display & Video 360 and Shopping Ads, Axios reported. Google suspended election ads to prevent “confusion” as votes are tallied after Election Day, according to a company spokesperson.
Initially implemented during the 2020 election, the policy aims to curb “misinformation,” specifically premature victory declarations by candidates before official results, Axios reported. Google reinstated U.S. election ads in December 2020 following the presidential election and just before Georgia’s runoff.
Meta announced in November 2023 that it will prohibit new ads related to politics, elections, and social issues in the last week of the U.S. election campaign.
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